Meet Jor-el Vaasborg | Actor, Photographer, and Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jor-el Vaasborg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jor-el, what principle do you value most?
In regards to work, the way you treat the people you work with, whether it’s your fellow co-workers or clients, is paramount. The most creatively successful projects for me always involve a great collaboration, and that only happens if you vibe or at least trust the people you’re making something with. Also, if people enjoy working with you and (and you enjoy working with them), you’ll probably get to do it again.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think as a performer we all have unique qualities that it’s important to embrace, because that’s what sets you apart from everyone else. I tend to play a lot of “delinquents,” acting-wise, which is a lot of fun. I got really lucky in that I booked my first job I auditioned for out-of-college so I was able to get on set and start acting right after I left UCLA’s acting program. Recently I’ve been doing some voice-over work as well, which can be really challenging because of the fast pace, but also really creatively unique because you get to create all these different character voices on the fly.

One of the things I’ve learned as a photographer as well is that your taste is really important, along with your skill set. Knowing creatively what you want out of a shoot, completely changes the way you work.

When I take photos of events, especially film shoots, it’s really a unique experience because you get to tell the story of each shoot day and the heroes of that day are the crew along with the performers. Everyone on set is focused on what’s happening in the frame of their camera, and I get to show everything beyond that frame, which is pretty magical.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Monday – Venice Beach, rent some surfboards, watch the sun set on the beach Tuesday – Visit the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City in the afternoon and then check out the Open Mic at Westside Comedy Club in Santa Monica
Wednesday – Go downtown, visit The Broad, get some food at Grand Central Market, find some obscure book at The Last Bookstore, and Perch rooftop bar downtown later that night
Thursday – Take a trip to the Huntington Gardens in the afternoon and go to The Comedy Store and see a show.
Friday – Spend the day hiking over in Griffith Park, and get some friends together for a fun poker night at my place
Saturday – Drive down the PCH to Malibu and take some coastline photos together, then get together with some friends and play some music with my friends or go check out a local show
Sunday – Go to Santa Monica beach and slackfline with the locals, then head over to El Segundo to see a classic movie at The Old Town Music Hall

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this to my Mom, Emilie Borg. Without her love and support, this whole journey wouldn’t have happened. When I told her I wanted to pursue an artistic life she didn’t bat an eye, but she also told me if I wanted to do this, I was going to have to be courageous, and put in the work.

Website: vaasborgphoto.com, jor-elv.com

Instagram: @vaasborg, @vaasborgphoto

Twitter: @vaasborg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vaasborg

Other: https://www.imdb.me/vaasborg